


Just Rewards

by dracoqueen22



Series: Just Rewards [1]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Future Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-19
Updated: 2012-07-19
Packaged: 2017-11-10 06:44:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/463368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dracoqueen22/pseuds/dracoqueen22
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It may not have been what Ichigo pictured for himself, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just Rewards

**Author's Note:**

> This is technically a sequel to Heaven Can Wait, but this fic was written first and both can be read standalone.

Every morning, it was long limbs.  
  
Long, gangly limbs and pale skin and silver hair brushing teasingly against Ichigo's collarbone. It was the warmth of another person in his single bed where there was barely room for one much less two. It was an elbow digging into his side and a puff of warm, moist air as his lover breathed evenly in his sleep. It was a faint tingling in the fingers of one hand where the circulation had been cut off sometime during the night and was now slowly returning. It was a feeling that was strangely like domesticity, and Ichigo had suddenly found that he didn't mind it one bit.  
  
Every morning it was Ichigo lying there just a few moments longer, knowing he would have to get up in the next five minutes or so. He would have to untangle himself from long limbs and drag his ass out of bed to greet the morning. A quick shower, a piece of toast, and out the door to join the daily grind.  
  
He would sift through the crowds, brave the subway, wish he could use shunpo, and eventually arrive at the university relatively intact. Oh sure, there was a grope or two that could never quite be avoided. But everyone got groped on the subway. He'd learned to stop punching out all the perverts. It caused scenes.  
  
Once there, he'd stop to toss out the letters in his inbox without even looking at them. His assistant had long learned to put all the important stuff directly on his desk. He'd gather his notes for the day, and then, he'd head off to class. It would then be hours of trying to instill the importance of literary masterpieces into the minds of students who may or may not care. Sometimes, he had some good ones.  
  
At lunch, he'd either walk to a corner deli or open his bag to find a bento waiting for him, completely by surprise. He didn't know how Gin managed to do it, but sometimes, it was there nevertheless. It had surprised him initially, the former traitor's ability to cook, but then, he'd capitalized on it. After having Yuzu take care of him for so long, it had been daunting to think of eating convenience store bento and take-out for the rest of his life.  
  
He would return to the classroom, teach another few classes, and then retreat to the safety of his office where he'd take off his glasses for the first time and relax. There, he would contemplate grading a few more grammatically disastrous papers or working on his new book, another thesis on playwrights. He would watch the sun go down from his window, ignoring both options, until he heard the low dong that signified all of the classes were done for the day. Packing up his things, he'd head home.  
  
Home. A word that had taken on all new meaning for Ichigo. As a child, home had meant his mother with her smiling face and her kind hands and a sense of overwhelming happiness. As a teenager, home had meant guilt and determination, protecting his sisters and hating himself for the mistake he had made. And, of course, the Shinigami and the war with Aizen. Now… now, it meant long limbs and silver hair and returning to where someone was always waiting.  
  
A low chuckle echoed through the lazy morning as a hand with long fingers lifted to press briefly against his forehead. “Whatcha thinkin' so darkly about?” Gin asked, breath a puff against Ichigo's neck.  
  
His fingers fell away but not before Ichigo caught them and brought them to his own lips. This morning was a Saturday, after all, and he usually didn't have to be anywhere. His tongue touched at one finger, nibbling gently at the tip. Red eyes slitted open, falling on him.  
  
“Nothing really,” Ichigo answered, pressing a kiss to Gin's bare palm.  
  
The former captain really was quite sexy. And Ichigo felt it was his duty to greet both his lover and the morning properly. Waking up next to the man who had captured his heart pretty much demanded that.  
  
“The lines in yer brow say otherwise,” Gin retorted, exhale coming with a distinctive hitch as he shifted in bed, making it easier for Ichigo to move atop him. Just where he liked to be, enfolded in a long-limbed embrace and pressed against warm skin.  
  
Ichigo mouthed a prominent collarbone, lips making a red mark on the pale skin, his own darker complexion an enticing contrast. “You really want me to say the sappy shit I was thinking?”  
  
“Mebbe another time.” Gin snickered, the nails of one hand scratching down Ichigo's back as the professor felt Gin's cock lengthen against his thigh.  
  
Humming in agreement, Ichigo sought out Gin's lips with his own, ignoring the fact that both of them had terrible breath. His tongue touched his lover's as he rolled his hips sinuously, arousal rocking with interest against Gin's hip. Want already twisted in his belly, sending a flash of fire through him at their languid motions.  
  
Gin wrapped those long limbs around his body, and with a small grunt, he switched their positions, Gin straddling Ichigo's hips. Ichigo shivered as Gin rubbed slender palms across his abdomen, silver hair falling across his eyes.  
  
“That's better,” he purred and rocked his hips forward. His length slid against Ichigo's, sending a spark of want through the younger man.  
  
Ichigo groaned, one hand falling to those pale thighs and grasping tightly. “No teasing,” he muttered, reaching above him with the other hand and digging under the pillows for the lube they usually kept stashed there.  
  
“But yer cute when ya blush,” Gin countered with a lick of his lips. One hand smoothed upwards, brushing over a dusky nipple.  
  
As if on cue, Ichigo's cheeks warmed over, and he scowled. “I'm not.” And just to prove it, he dumped lube across his fingers and grasped Gin's cock, stroking his fingers skillfully down the length.  
  
Gin shivered, eyes slitting and revealing irises darkened with lust. He reached forward, plucking the bottle from Ichigo's hand and put it to good use, sliding his skilled fingers around Ichigo's own arousal. He traced the veins, and Ichigo groaned, breath quickening at the erotic sight.  
  
“Morning's are the best,” Ichigo murmured, head falling back against the pillow as he arched towards those talented hands.  
  
Smiling, Gin chuckled, inching forward and positioning himself over Ichigo's leaking arousal. Ichigo's breath caught as he slipped into his elder lover, immediately surrounded by clasping heat.  
  
“Damn, you feel good,” he groaned.  
  
Gin rocked his hips, a shiver wracking his thin frame. “So do ya.” He lifted himself up and gradually sank back down, beginning a steady but maddening pace.  
  
Ichigo sucked his lower lip into his mouth, his pulse a rapid beat within him. Gin was incredibly sexy, even more so because he didn't seem to know it. On the battlefield, he was a sight to behold, and in the bedroom, he almost glowed. But Ichigo only carried these thoughts; he never said them aloud. It was too damn embarrassing.  
  
A finger plucked over Ichigo's nipple, and he hissed with pleasure, watching as Gin rolled his hips. He sank deep with every thrust, the slow and lazy pace building a careful burn within Ichigo's belly. Gin's breathing became erratic as his lover stroked his leaking shaft, and Ichigo had the sudden desire to kiss him. The scenery was great, but he wanted to be closer.  
  
Sweat painting his body, Ichigo pulled himself upwards, surprising Gin with the sudden change in position. One hand firmly planted on Gin's hip kept his older lover in place as he ended up more or less sitting on the bed, knees to either side of his body.  
  
“Even better,” Gin murmured, sliding his arms around and trailing his fingers across the broad back. Shivers followed in their wake, heat spreading through Ichigo's body at the gentle touch.  
  
“I thought so, too,” Ichigo replied and acted upon his earlier urge, sealing his lips over Gin's and kissing him languidly. The change in position enabled him to push deeper, and a groan rattled in his chest as he felt Gin clench around him.  
  
Gin's arousal rubbed against his abdomen, leaving a streak of fluid behind. Ichigo pulled him closer, one hand lifting to tangle in silver strands of hair as he deepened their kiss. He slid his other hand between their bodies, determined to make Gin feel just as good as he did at the moment, desire steadily building.  
  
Hands skated down his back, tracing familiar scars without a hint of disgust. Gin liked to trace them with his fingers, and more often than not, his mouth followed. And Gin had a very talented tongue. Just thinking of the ex-captain's lips on Ichigo's sensitive spot sent a shock of hunger through him.  
  
A moan rattled in his chest as he thrust up into Gin, heat pooling desperately in his groin. His hand moved faster over Gin's length, slick thanks to the lube he had used earlier. Gin rocked against him, eyes closed as he lost himself to pleasure. Ichigo himself felt on the brink, and he broke away from the kiss, dropping to dot a row over a pale collarbone.  
  
“Ah...” Gin moaned, one hand clutching onto Ichigo's shoulder as he ground down. “ _Harder_.”  
  
Ichigo was all too willing to comply, increasing his pace. He gently squeezed Gin, sliding his fingers around the leaking head. He licked a line over a pale throat, tasting the vestiges of sweat and feeling Gin's groan rumble. It was an utterly sexy sound, causing the blood to rush hotly through his veins.  
  
He wanted to hold out longer. To prolong the pleasure spiking through his body and the feel of Gin writhing in his arms. The scent of musk heavy in the air and Gin's noises of pleasure. But it was not to be so, and that was even more apparent as Gin moaned. His fingers dug into Ichigo's back as he throbbed in Ichigo's grip. Gin hungrily grasped orange hair, tugging him gently back together for another demanding kiss. Their lips sloppily connected, mouths closing over Ichigo's moan. Gin embraced him eagerly, movements sharp and erratic as his climax descended.  
  
Gin clamped down on him as he reached his peak, and he streaked white over Ichigo's fingers. His inner muscles tightened around Ichigo, who gasped, feeling as if his release had been pulled from his body. He stilled, thrusting deep one last time and spilling deep into his lover's body.  
  
Thin arms enclosed him through the last of the shudders, the frantic kiss easing into something more languorous. Ichigo could feel his heart thudding madly in his chest as a small noise of content thrummed in Gin's throat. Feelings of warmth and belonging floated through him, and he loosened his hold on Gin's hair, letting his hand slide slowly down the thinner man's back.  
  
Gin ended the kiss with a nip to the lips. “I think I like mornin’s, too,” he murmured, causing Ichigo to chuckle in response.  
  
He carefully separated from his older lover, falling back to stretch across the bed. Gin followed him down, amusement echoing through him. Loose-limbed and relaxed, Ichigo sank into the comforter and winced when light poured in through a crack in the blinds, striking him full in the eyes. He rolled over to avoid the shaft of sunlight as Gin settled behind him.  
  
Ichigo felt lazy, and he really didn't want to move. He contemplated returning to sleep, despite the mess they had made of the bed.  
  
“We should take advantage of the day off,” he suggested sleepily, somewhat distracted by the circles Gin was drawing in the small of his back. “Head to Karakura or something.”  
  
The tracing stopped briefly, and he could practically feel the discomfort emanating from the former traitor.  
  
“As much as I adore yer sisters--”  
  
“Goat-Face won't be there,” Ichigo assured him before Gin could even come up with another excuse. “He's at some conference in Tokyo. Karin told me yesterday.”  
  
A kiss pressed to his back, across his spine and between his shoulder blades. “Well, then… I guess I’d better get showered and dressed,” Gin replied, sounding significantly cheerier as he slid off the bed with a squeak of the mattress.  
  
Ichigo rolled over to watch him, admiring the sleek form in the light pouring from the parted curtains and blinds. “Even if he was there, it wouldn't matter. I'd punch him in the face if he said anything.”  
  
“My knight in shinin' armor,” Gin drawled amusedly. “I can handle myself, Ichigo.” Gin turned towards the door and its adjoining bathroom, flicking on the switch as he entered and causing a cascade of fluorescent illumination.  
  
“Yeah, in a fight.” He rolled off the bed with significantly less grace, grimacing as his hip encountered a wet spot. A changing of the sheets was in order but after a shower. “Dealing with Isshin is another story.”  
  
Gin frowned briefly, the pipes squeaking as he turned the taps. “If ya say so,” he replied, and that pretty much signified the end of this particular discussion, not that Ichigo wanted to continue.  
  
Isshin's disapproval of their relationship was no secret to either of them. Homosexuality aside, it was Gin that Isshin didn't like. The fact that Gin was a former traitor to Soul Society rankled at Ichigo's father, and he'd expressed his disagreement quite verbally. On one occasion, Ichigo had followed through with his desire to strike the man on account of the uncalled for insult his father had muttered.  
  
If Isshin had his way, Ichigo would be with someone else. _Anyone_ else really. Rukia or Jyuushiro perhaps. He would even rather Byakuya before he'd sanction their relationship, which needless to say caused much tension in his childhood home. It was the main reason Ichigo had moved out in his first years of attending university.  
  
“Yer thinkin' again,” Gin commented, dragging him from his thoughts as he pulled Ichigo into the shower and under the warm water. He'd had to raise his voice above the sound of the falling spray.  
  
A growth spurt still hadn't managed to put him at the same height as Gin, Ichigo noticed as they stood together. He didn't answer Gin's accusation, choosing to kiss his older lover instead. Goat-Face could fall in a hole for all he cared. Gin was Ichigo's decision to make, and his father's discomfort with the situation wasn't going to change that.  
  
Gin backed him against the wall, aligning their bodies even as Ichigo jumped at the contact with the cold tile. “Ya should stop thinkin',” Gin added, dropping his lips to Ichigo's throat and biting gently over his skin.  
  
“Easier said than done,” Ichigo groaned, his fingers digging into thin arms as he ground sensuously against his elder lover.  
  
“Are ya sayin' I'm not distractin' enough?” He punctuated the question with a long and lazy lick over Ichigo's pulse.  
  
The professor felt desire renew itself, spiking through his veins. “Don't put words into my mouth.”  
  
Gin chuckled deviously. “Nah, I can think of better things ta go there.”  
  
“Pervert.”  
  
“I consider that a compliment.”  
  
Skilled fingers danced down Ichigo's spine, pressing their bodies together as water sluiced across their skin. Ichigo moaned, rocking and wordlessly asking for more. So much for showering to get clean. He felt Gin's arousal rub across his slick abdomen, and Ichigo snuck a hand between their bodies, grasping the other man. Gin mouthed his collarbone in appreciation.  
  
“A quickie?”  
  
“Unless you want to shower in ice,” Ichigo retorted, sliding his fingers around his lover's length.  
  
Gin chuckled, winnowing a free hand between them and grasping Ichigo's arousal in turn. He shifted position to combine their grips into one. Ichigo moaned as Gin's shaft came into contact with his own, hot and pulsing. The sound reverberated in the bathroom, bouncing along the walls.  
  
Humming low in his throat, Gin's lips traveled upwards. Breathing hot and heavy into Ichigo's ears.  
  
“The neighbors 're gonna get an earful again.”  
  
“Let them listen.”  
  
Ichigo would have argued had Gin not chose that moment to drizzle some conditioner over their cocks and follow it up with a deft stroke. Blood rushed through his veins, and Ichigo's head slipped back against the shower wall, hips bucking forward. His fingers, tangled with Gin's, moved over their combined shafts. He could feel Gin throbbing against him, and the other man's heavy breathing seemed to echo in the enclosed space.  
  
Gin's thumb slid over the head of Ichigo's shaft, and he sucked in a breath. “Ah... Gin...”  
  
“Do it a'gin?”  
  
“Don't tease,” Ichigo countered, squeezing as he slid his fingers over their arousals. He rocked into their combined strokes, feeling Gin's body moving against his in tandem.  
  
Chuckling, Gin purred into his ear. “As ya wish,” he murmured, navigating back to Ichigo's lips and capturing them hungrily. The conversation was effectively ended as their tongues tangled, twisting together.  
  
The shower wall no longer felt cold at Ichigo's back as heat raced across his skin, boiling in his belly and setting him to twitching. His free hand pulled Gin tight against him, their skin rubbing slickly together as the scent of the conditioner rose between them. Strawberries and cream. Gin's idea, not his.  
  
He rocked against Gin, feeling a bony hip rub across his own in turn. Gin's tongue tangled with his, and Ichigo broke it off with a gasp, burying his face in the crook of the man’s neck. Faced with pale skin, he set about to marking it, biting into the meat of Gin's shoulder. His lover groaned, tightening his hold as heat flooded through him. The slight edge of pain only added to pleasure.  
  
It started in Ichigo's spine, buzzing down the length of his back as he sucked in a stuttered breath. The slickness of the conditioner eased their grips, and then, Ichigo shuddered, body locking as he spilled into their united hold. He dragged his hand down Gin's back, digging in a little with his fingers as the man shivered, breath a hot against Ichigo's ear.  
  
“Ah... damn,” he groaned throatily and bucked harder, his release rocketing through him. “Cheater.”  
  
Ichigo laughed, dragging his tongue over the mark he'd made with his teeth. There was a faint impression amidst the red flush.  
  
“Time limit here,” he reminded his lover.  
  
“Cold water, I know,” Gin returned, lifting up his soiled hand. He smirked as he dragged his tongue across it, watching as Ichigo's eyes dilated at the arousing sight.  
  
“There is that,” Ichigo replied and pretended nonchalant as he grabbed a quick kiss before reaching around Gin for the shampoo. “And I promised Yuzu we'd be over by four.”  
  
Gin gave him a look, amber-red appearing behind his slitted lids. “That was sneaky, Ichigo,” he replied, sliding the bottle away from his lover’s reach. “What if I said no?”  
  
“You wouldn't have,” Ichigo assured him, giving up on the shampoo for the moment and reaching for soap instead. “Just like me, you can't say no to Yuzu.”  
  
“Those eyes 're dangerous,” Gin muttered, but it lacked any heat. He wasn't really angry. That Ichigo wanted to share him with his family so much warmed him.  
  
“Tell me about it,” Ichigo agreed, slathering himself with soap until Gin graciously offered to _help_ him. He graciously allowed the aid.  
  
And Ichigo thought, that if every day was like this, then he wouldn't mind it one bit. Long limbs and daily bento and witty banter and deep kisses that didn't necessarily have to turn into more to be perfect. Even if his father didn't approve and Soul Society still watched over them for the next fifty years or so before allowing Gin back.  
  
If he could wake up every morning to Gin, he thought that he could be happy like this. That he could spend the rest of his mortal life and then all the time of his dead one in a perfect sense of contented bliss. And he knew that Gin felt the same way.  
  
“What's that smile fer?” Gin asked in the midst of turning off the spray and reaching for a towel. He watched Ichigo, who must have had an odd smile on his face.  
  
Ichigo shook his head. “You,” he answered simply, stepping out and dripping water all over the mat.  
  
“What 'bout me?”  
  
He didn't answer verbally, instead catching Gin's arm and drawing him near for a quick kiss. “Love you,” he murmured against Gin's lips.  
  
Gin blinked at the sudden confession, and abruptly grinned. “There ya go with that sappy shit, ne?”  
  
“Shut up, bastard. I felt like saying it.” Ichigo scowled, embarrassment coloring his cheeks a bright crimson.  
  
It wasn't often that he verbalized his feelings. In fact, both of them rarely found a need to actually say the words. Ichigo knew how he felt, and he knew how Gin felt. That was all that mattered to them.  
  
Gin's expression softened, and the smile on his face was gentle rather than teasing. “I was happy ta hear it,” he returned quietly, and for a moment, the guards he usually kept around himself were entirely gone.  
  
His fingers flexed around Ichigo's arm. And then he leaned in, capturing Ichigo's lips in another short kiss.  
  
“I love you,” he added so quietly it barely reached Ichigo's ears, much less passed beyond the intimacy of their position.  
  
For Ichigo, who knew how hard it was for Gin to return the words, they meant more to him than anything.  
  
He smiled. “I know.”

_*****_


End file.
